


To Be The Best

by helloyesIamtrash



Series: Inked at Midnight [17]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aobajousai? more like Iwaizumi Hajime Appreciation Squad, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, M/M/M/M, Oiks doesn't know how to share at first, Polyamory, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, but that's for like 2 seconds, they're so oblovious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 17:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8499169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloyesIamtrash/pseuds/helloyesIamtrash
Summary: Though no one knows how or why, at midnight on a person’s 16th birthday, they get writing on their wrist, almost like a tattoo. This writing, whatever it says, has something to do with your soulmate. It’s usually something like the first thing they say to you after it appears, or an inside joke you two will have, maybe a phrase they say a lot. Simply a push in the right direction, fate’s little nudge-nudge wink-wink about what future you have in store. This is the story about how the Iwaizumi Hajime got three soulmates!





	

**Author's Note:**

> ,,,, IM SORRY IT'S BEEN A WHILE BUT IT'S BECAUSE I WAS WORKING ON A 5-CHAPTER 14K THING (I posted it, check it out if you want ;) bless)  
> BUT IT'S HERE AND IT WON'T TAKE ALMOST A MONTH FOR ME TO POST ANOTHER  
> HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY  
> (also @ Nata1967 thanks for being a great beta <3)

Though no one knows how or why, at midnight on a person’s 16th birthday, they get writing on their wrist, almost like a tattoo. This writing, whatever it says, has something to do with your soulmate. It’s usually something like the first thing they say to you after it appears, or an inside joke you two will have, maybe a phrase they say a lot. Simply a push in the right direction, fate’s little nudge-nudge wink-wink about what future you have in store.

Iwaizumi was staying up that night, texting Oikawa as it grew nearer and nearer to midnight, because what else would he be doing? He was his best friend, it was late, and Iwaizumi didn’t know how to feel about the whole concept of ‘soulmates’, as he was explaining to the brunet.

Me: Why is this so important to you shittykawa  
Me: It’s just another birthday to me honestly  
Oikawa: WHY IS THIS NOT IMPORTANT TO YOU????????  
Oikawa: YOU’RE GETTING YOUR TATTOO  
Oikawa: ITS WHO YOU’LL SPEND HTE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH IWA-CHANNNN  
Me: I guess so yeah  
Oikawa: eofnwbvbeewufuoewo  
Oikawa: IWACHAN WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS  
Oikawa: Whatever, it’s almost midnight anyway, you’ll see soon :DDDDDD

Iwaizumi hummed and looked at the clock, and indeed it was almost midnight. His veins chilled with a kind of apprehension, but he simply laid down on his unmade bed and roamed his thoughts.

What was it about soulmates that he was so unsure of?

Well.

Mostly the fact that he was in love with one Oikawa Tooru.

At least, in some way. And that was what was causing him to hesitate. It’s a strange kind of love, to him, something that’s always been there and had become impossible to define since its boundaries are hazy. He’s known his best friend since they were in diapers. He’s seen Oikawa scrape his knees and fail tests and get detentions in middle school for being late to class one too many times. He’s seen him throw himself down, pick himself back up again and fly to the top. He’s seen him laugh and cry and every single emotion in between, so it’s a fact of life, for Iwaizumi, that he loves Oikawa. But he doesn’t know in what way. He’s never been loved another person this much that wasn’t a part of his family, so any other friends or acquaintances are incomparable, and it’s not like he’s had a girlfriend to compare physical attraction to.

He had mere seconds left until it was midnight, and Iwaizumi still felt confused and unsure when he heard urgent rapping on his window. At a loss for who it could be this late at night, he gets out of his warm cocoon and makes his way to the window. As he peeks out, his confusion turns into a mix of exasperation and fondness as he sees his best friend squatting next to his window on the second story window.

There was an old tree next to the raven haired boy’s window, sturdy and old. The first time Oikawa climbed it, Iwaizumi had snorted, asking if they were trapped in one of the cheesy rom-coms that Oikawa’s sister liked. Now, it was the main method of getting into the Iwaizumi household. His mother didn’t even bat an eyelash when the brunet came down the stairs with him without having entered through the front door, just a ‘Hello boys, how was practice?’ Usually, though, Oikawa didn’t come this late unannounced unless there was something wrong. Without a second thought, Iwaizumi threw open the window and let his best friend in, and before he could say anything was cut off by the brunet himself.

“I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, show me your wrist Iwa-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, his eyes big and sparkly as the clock chimed midnight. Iwaizumi felt it and whipped his wrist up for them to both watch as the tattoo appeared. Letters appeared, then words. Words in handwriting he knew all too well, etched in a teal shade.

Then other words started appearing.

Words in black and pink, separate from the first but completely undeniable.

He read the words on his wrist.

‘I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, show me your wrist Iwa-chan,’ in a loopy teal blue.

‘So this is the famous ‘Iwa-chan’, then? Thought he’d be taller,’ in small, neat pink characters. That pissed him off, but he was still processing.

‘Well, took you long enough,’ scrawled in a messy black font.

“Iwa-chan.” Oikawa whispered gently, and the two best friends looked at each other. They both knew that they were treading lightly - it was unexplored territory for both of them. Iwaizumi chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all, because since when were they ever cautious around each other?

“God, I love you.” Iwaizumi chuckled, a stupidly happy grin on his face, and just like that he knew that it wasn’t platonic, probably never has been for him. Oikawa looked like he had been hit by a freight train.

“This explains… so much,” Oikawa murmured faintly, his chocolate eyes wide and his face slack. Iwaizumi had never seen him like this, and he was starting to get worried. Was it not reciprocated? Oikawa was wearing long sleeves, so even if he got a tattoo Iwaizumi wouldn’t be able to tell. “I always compared the girls I dated to you. None of them were ever better, so I broke up with a lot of them. You… We’re soulmates.” Oikawa giggled at the end, probably from disbelief.

“I’ve known for a while now.” Iwaizumi admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, and Oikawa’s eyes lit up with glee.

“Really, Iwa-chan? How romantic! Were you pining over me like in a shoujo manga, the oblivious protagonist not noticing?” Oikawa teased, bouncing back from before with a smile.

“Fuck you, Shittykawa, don’t think that we’ll suddenly change because of this.” Iwaizumi reprimanded angrily, flicking the back of the setter’s neck.

“What will change, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked, his expression suddenly one of worry.

“I dunno, I guess we do couple things now?” Iwaizumi asked incredulously. “You’ve been in more relationships than I have!”

“You want to do couple things?” Oikawa clarified, and Iwaizumi nodded. With no other warning, the brunet leaned forward and captured the ace’s lips with his own, pressing softly as he cupped his cheek. Iwaizumi’s brain stopped working at that exact moment, going on autopilot as he kissed back. It was short and sweet, but it left the older of the two red in the face when they parted.

“Want to stay over?” Iwaizumi asked in a daze, pleased to see that Oikawa looked flustered as well.

“Slow down there, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa teased, but he could tell that the brunet looked nervous and- oh.

“Not like that,” Iwaizumi clarified hastily, and the setter visibly relaxed. “Just… Mom was expecting you to come anyways and she’s making your favorite tomorrow.”

“Sure!” Oikawa chirped, shedding his jacket and pecking Iwaizumi chastely before jumping into the ace’s bed. Grumbling, Iwaizumi followed him in, and they automatically reverted into Iwaizumi being the little spoon (a tradition at Iwaizumi-Oikawa sleepovers).

“Iwa-chan.” Oikawa exclaimed softly with a gasp, his breath hitting the ace’s neck right before the two drifted off.

“What?” Iwaizumi asked, annoyance bleeding into his tone.

“You’re the best friend character trope.”

“I am going to murder you in your sleep.”  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Now you really are part of the family, Tooru!” Iwaizumi’s mother had exclaimed proudly when the brunet skipped down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen to show her, Iwaizumi close behind her.

“Mom!” Oikawa exclaimed, teary-eyed, and pulled her into a hug. The woman gladly returned it, and then pulled her biological son into the group hug.

“Don’t just stand there like a stone, Hajime.” She clucked. She made them breakfast, fussed over their general appearances, and waved to them as she went to the grocery store.

“I love your mom.” Oikawa said matter-of-factly.

“No shit,” Iwaizumi snorted as they walked back up into the ace’s room. “So… Are we going to talk about how I have other tattoos?”

“Well,” Oikawa started slowly, sitting down on the bed next to his new soulmate. “It could be polyamory, but we won’t know that until my birthday.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Iwaizumi asked, his dark onyx eyes burning into the setter’s brown orbs.

The setter took a shuddery breath. “To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve had you to myself my whole life, and you know how selfish I am. I’m afraid I’ll be too jealous, but if it really is polyamory, then I’m sure there will be exceptions to every rule. Even if it isn’t polyamory, I’ll get over it. I’d rather see you happy.” Oikawa admitted with a sad smile, and Iwaizumi began to burn with a quiet rage.

“Listen. Tooru,” Iwaizumi started, his voice dangerously low as he grabbed Oikawa’s shoulders. “If this is not polyamory, I don’t care who my other soulmates are. I’m staying with you, no matter what.”

“Don’t make me cry, Iwa-chan, you know I’m an ugly crier.” Oikawa sniffled, burying his face in his soulmate’s shoulder.

“I know.” Iwaizumi chuckled, rubbing soothing circles onto the brunet’s back.

“What do they even say, anyway?” Oikawa sniffled.

“Well, one says…” Iwaizumi started, but then he looked at the pink one and fully processed its words. “...So this is the famous ‘Iwa-chan’, then? Thought he’d be taller.” He finished quietly, looking at Oikawa with wide eyes. Big brown ones met his, understanding flowing through them as their memories fell back to the second day of volleyball practice at Aoba Jousai. Iwaizumi had been sick the previous meeting, but Oikawa was there. Naturally, he had already befriended two other first-years, and had apparently blabbed about his ‘Iwa-chan’ nonstop. Therefore, when the setter was accompanied by Iwaizumi the next practice, two boys approached them.

“So this is the famous ‘Iwa-chan’, then? Thought he’d be taller.” The one with pink hair had grinned, and Iwaizumi huffed angrily. He then grew to know the two as Hanamaki and Matsukawa, his best friends along with Oikawa. People have called them the terrifying four of Aoba Jousai.

More than a few times, Hanamaki still greets him with the same line as he and Oikawa enter the gym.

'The terrifying four of Aoba Jousai', Iwaizumi thought back upon. Well, this certainly gave that a new meaning.

“No way,” Oikawa gasped in a hushed tone, though his eyes were sparkling. “It’s pink, Iwa-chan! It has to be them!” Instantly, he goes to whip out his phone and undoubtedly text either Hanamaki or Matsukawa but Iwaizumi grabbed it before he could type anything.

“Don’t tell them! If you do, it might alter what they say to me tomorrow.” Iwaizumi warned.

“You’re right,” Oikawa huffed, a slight pout forming with his pink lips. “I… If they are, do you think that they like us already?”

Dark brows furrowed in thought. “I’m… not sure. Maybe? It’s hard to tell with them.”

“They’re rarely serious.” Oikawa agreed with an melodramatic sigh.

“They used to always joke about a foursome.” Iwaizumi recalled, and Oikawa nearly choked on air.

“Where was I when this happened?” Oikawa demanded.

“Usually this was when your fangirls were stealing you away and we were all talking about how if you dated me then this wouldn’t happen, but then Hanamaki complained that he called dibs so Matsukawa said we could have a four-way.” Iwaizumi explained with a light smile.

“Iwa-chan… They were flirting. With you. And you didn’t notice.” Oikawa said slowly, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

“You know I’m not good at this kind of thing!” Iwaizumi defended, his face a soft red.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Oikawa beamed with a wink, and Iwaizumi only grew redder.

“God help me.”  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
On Monday, both boys were jittery as they walked towards the gym doors hand in hand. Iwaizumi gave Oikawa a comforting squeeze, a reminder that no matter what they would be in this together. Once again, Oikawa mentally thanked the sun, the stars, and the aliens for giving him Iwaizumi Hajime. With shaking steps and hopeful hearts, the boys entered the gym to see the normal sights. Kyoutani and Yahaba were being petty as per usual, Watari was trying to be the middleman and failing miserably, Kindaichi and Kunimi chatting near the water fountain, and the two they were anxious to see grinning devilishly at them from the court where they were bouncing a ball idly.

“So this is the famous ‘Iwa-chan’, then? Thought he’d be taller.” Hanamaki greeted with a smirk, his eyes lazily raking over the two with mirth, while the soulmates’ blood ran cold and hot, blazing in icy fire as they stared at the the pair - still unmarked, dating each other, and possibly linked with them by fate to be soulmates. Iwaizumi took a shaky breath.

“Hanamaki, I’ve always wanted to tell you this, but your hair is really fluffy,” Iwaizumi said bluntly, his cheeks a faint red, and just about half of the team freezes with shock. What happened? Why did Iwaizumi compliment him? About something that wasn’t volleyball skills? Why did they not get compliments? Was the world ending? “And Matsukawa, your eyes are gorgeous.” Iwaizumi finished as he turned to face the other third-year, who looked just as floored as his boyfriend. Their eyes mirrored the other’s shock as they felt a telltale prickling on their wrists, and they shared this look that could only be described as sheer joy. Two bodies surged forward with the most genuine smiles on their faces than any of their friends had ever seen and enveloped the shortest third year in a hug.

“Well, took you long enough.” Matsukawa grumbled, and Iwaizumi’s tattoos hummed in appreciation.

“Wait,” Hanamaki said suddenly, breaking apart from their little group to look worriedly at Oikawa, who was standing there with a look of awe on his face. “Oikawa?” Matsukawa immediately broke apart too, and looked between all of them with some fear in his eyes, fear that the pair would lose their best friend. The face that they were waiting to crumple never fell, instead bloomed into a smile as the brunet bounced over and thrust out his wrist, the blue font standing out against his pale skin.

“We’ll have to wait until my birthday to make sure, of course, but there’s no way you’re all doing this without me.” Oikawa beamed, and gathered all of his soulmates into a hug, not a dry eye in the huddle of bodies.

“Of course we’re not leaving you behind, we’re not the terrifying Aoba Jousai foursome without you.” Iwaizumi chuckled wetly, and with a single glance, Matsukawa and Hanamaki grinned.

“It’s not gay if it’s in a three way.” They said simultaneously.

“We’re literally four men.” Oikawa giggled, a new wave of happy tears coming at full force.

“Let us live.” Hanamaki laughed.

(The team had a large celebration for the new soulmates, though pretty much all of the team was a little heartbroken because Aoba Jousai is synonymous with Iwaizumi Hajime Appreciation club. However, in seeing how happy their ace was with their friends, they decided that this was the best it could have been.)  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Mom, I’m home!” Oikawa trilled when he entered his house later that day. Since he had spent the weekend at Iwaizumi’s (not an uncommon occurrence), he hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her about his soulmates. A woman with a short, fashionably spiked pixie cut and laugh lines popped her head into the hall and beamed as she walked up to hug her son.

“Hello, Tooru, how was your weekend with Hajime? Did you have fun? What was his tattoo?” She asked fondly, the sparkle in her eyes identical to the one in her son’s.

“It was fun, Iwa-chan is great! He actually got three tattoos.” Oikawa chucked nervously, avoiding the subject slightly.

“Wow! Were they all romantic? Must be a handful.” Oikawa’s mother said lightly, but she was still smiling.

“Uh, mom?” Oikawa said hesitantly, and suddenly her attention was undividedly on him.

“What is it, dear?” She asked, and he took a deep breath in.

“Iwa-chan’s my soulmate.” Oikawa said quietly, rolling up his sleeve to show off his new tattoo. His mother said nothing as she gently took his wrist and looked at the tattoo.

“Well, my son deserves no less than the best, and Hajime is already practically family. But what about his other soulmates?” She asked, more concerned about the other people in the equation rather than Oikawa telling her something that she had already known would happen since he was little. It wasn’t that she was against polyamory, it was more that she knew her son wasn’t too good at sharing.

“Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro.” Oikawa laughed softly, and her mind clicked with memories of two tall boys with never ending laughter who sat at her dinner table and claimed that her food was the best they ever had. The ones who had become somewhat of regulars whenever Hajime came over, and they would all smirk and grin and have so much fun. Their bond was strong, not only with each other, but with Iwaizumi and Oikawa. She nodded contently.

“Hajime is still coming over for dinner tomorrow, right? Invite your other soulmates along, too. I want to make sure that they’re what’s best for boys.” Oikawa’s mom chirped.

“Mom, you’ve met them already!”

“Still, dear!”

Despite Oikawa’s protests, Hanamaki and Matsukawa were also invited along for dinner and enthusiastically replied with a ‘YES’, as it involved good food and the chance to impress their soulmate’s mother. Of course, they passed with flying colors and bouts of laughter that seemed to never stop ringing from the table. Afterwards, the four sat in Oikawa’s room, limbs entangled on the bed as they cuddled together.

“Issei, I never got to ask you, what did you mean by ‘took me long enough’?” Iwaizumi asked as he absentmindedly threaded his fingers through Hanamaki’s hair. From the pink-haired boy’s other side, a small grunt was heard.

“Well, we’ve both liked you for a while, it’s just that you finally noticed.” Matsukawa said matter-of-factly.

“Oikawa, too.” Hanamaki added, and Oikawa squeaked.

“Really?” Oikawa asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.

“Well, it was within the first few weeks of practice when Mattsun and I had kinda sorta started dating when we were both ogling at Iwaizumi while he was practicing serving. Without thinking, I just kinda leaned over to Mattsun and was like ‘I wanna lick his arms’. And do you know what this motherfucker said back to me?” Hanamaki started, glaring teasingly at his dark-haired counterpart who had the slightest smirk on his face.

“Dibs.” Matsukawa grinned, and Oikawa howled with laughter as Iwaizumi started to drown in his own embarrassment.

“And I of course protested how unfair it was, thus I called dibs on our dear Captain-kun,” Hanamaki continued sweetly, batting his eyes at the brunet who threw him an exaggerated kiss. “So we both came to an agreement that we could share.”

“But then you two couldn’t take a hint from each other, much less from us.” Matsukawa said with an eye roll.

“I resent this.” Oikawa mumbled childishly.

“They’re not wrong.” Iwaizumi reluctantly allowed, and Oikawa huffed indignantly.

“Left on my own, to fend for myself! How could you?” The brunet asked mockingly, falling onto the rest of his soulmates with a definitive sigh.

“How could we not?” Matsukawa asked, and they all let out a small laugh. It grew quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. They were all together, no boundaries holding them back, no hidden feelings or dark secrets to push away. They were whole.

“But listen… what if Kageyama and Hinata are aliens and that’s why they can do their freak quick?” Oikawa asked in hushed awe, his eyes as wide as (flying) saucers. Another moment of silence passed before a roar of laughter bubbled up. They were content.

EPILOGUE

It was a normal practice when it really hit Oikawa how much his life had changed. He was standing off to the side while Matsukawa and Hanamaki were pestering Iwaizumi, petulant grins on their faces being met with clear confusion from the ace.

Iwaizumi.

Oikawa thought back to the first day they met, how he had felt like gravity itself was pulling him closer to this dark haired boy covered in bandages with dirt on his hands and curious eyes. How he knew that this would be something that would last his whole life.

When they entered middle school, Iwaizumi was with him through it all, through the ups and downs in his life. When he was rough and when he was perfect. It was in their final year of middle school when Oikawa realized that he and his friend will get tattoos that might not be for each other. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

It was in their first year when Oikawa started to notice little things about Iwaizumi. His eyelashes were long and dark, like a girl’s. His body had become more bulky, defined. He fiddled with his cuticles when he was nervous, and he cared relentlessly about Oikawa himself. The brunet never wanted it to end.

On the night of Iwaizumi’s sixteenth birthday, Oikawa was restless. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t wait. He needed to face rejection now, to know that his best friend, his world would have someone else’s name on his wrist so that he could move on from whatever this feeling was. He raced over to his house, breathless.

He saw a blue tattoo on his Iwa-chan’s wrist.

It was for him.

Suddenly, everything made sense and he felt like crying because of course he loved his friend, he just didn’t realize to what extent. He loved him so, so much that it hurt. And now they had tattoos to prove that they loved each other.

Then he saw the other tattoos, and his blood turned to ice.

Oikawa had never been good at sharing. He tended to be rather petty, as well, but if Iwaizumi fell for someone else, he knew he would have to suck it up and bear with it. He would do anything for Iwaizumi, even if it meant getting over him. Until then, he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

Iwaizumi told him that he would choose Oikawa every time.

A warmth grew in his chest.

The other tattoos didn’t go away, though, and then they realized that the telltale colors were a sign that they had to talk to their other best friends. They were already dating. Everyone knew that they would be soulmates when their birthdays rolled around.

Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro.

Matsukawa Issei, with his large eyebrows and lidded eyes and smart comebacks, who listened and cared about Oikawa no matter what happened.

Hanamaki Takahiro, with his pink hair and trademarked grin and quick wit, who could always cheer Oikawa up in any situation.

The next practice, they each got a new tattoo, and the brunet wondered why he ever expected this to have any other outcome.

He remembered the jealousy, the nerves, the mere thought of a nameless, faceless soulmates stealing Iwaizumi away.

He remembered his birthday, when he got his tattoos for his Makki and his Mattsun, and how hard he cried when his soulmates enveloped him into a hug.

Oikawa Tooru was determined to be the the best for Iwaizumi before.

Now he was certain that he was the best whenever he had his three soulmates by his side.

(“Hey, guys?”

“Yeah, Shittykawa?”

“I love you all.”

“No shit.”

“Which is Mattsun for ‘you meme a lot to us’.”

“We love you too, Tooru.”)

**Author's Note:**

> LOOK AT OIKS LEARNING TO SHARE BLESS  
> (but like,,, him in glasses gave me a heart attack I s2g this kid)  
> I hope you all enjoyed! Options! 
> 
> A) OiKuro  
> B) OiYama  
> C) AkaKen  
> D) TsukiHina  
> E) Other, hmu babes 
> 
> My tumblr is @decadentcandyeagle if you wanna chat or be my friend 
> 
> Have a great day, guys! <3


End file.
